John arthur allen barfoot and josiah johnson



` (NoModeM' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. A. A. BARFOOT 8v J. JOI-INSUN.

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE. No. 599,435. Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

(No Model.) 3 SheetswSheet J. A. A. BARPOOT 8a J. JOHNSON.

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

(No Model.) 3` Sheetsshet. 3.

J. A. A. BARPOOT .8: J. JOHNSON. STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE.

190,599,435. Patented Feb. 22,1899.

lill i UNITED STATESl PATENT muon.

JOHN ARTHUR ALLEN BARFOOT AND J OSIAH JOHNSON, OF LEIOESTER, ENGLAND.

STRAIGHT-BAR KNITTINGnVIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,435, dated February 22, 1898. Application filed May 3, 1897. Serial No. 684,848. (No model.) Eatented in England July 2, 1895, No. 12,780.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN ARTHUR ALLEN BARFOOT, hosiery manufacturer, residing at Canning Place, in the town and county of Leicester, and J OsIAH JOHNSON, factory foreman, late of 73 Harrison street, and now of 9 Canning Place, Leicester, England, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straight-Bar Knitting-Machines, (for which we have received Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 12,780, dated July 2, 1895,) of which the following is a specification.

The Object of this invention is to facilitate the production of tuckwork and produce work on predetermined needles on straightbar knitting-machines.

Ve may employ a straight-bar knittingmachine of the Cotton type, in which the needle-bar has a rising-and-falling and baclol ward-and-forward motion given to it, as usual. The needles in place of being rigidly fixed to the bar, as heretofore for the most part usual, have their stems attached to the upper ends of strips or bits, which at their lower ends are jointed to the bar, so that any of the needles can be set back a short distance out of line with the others in order that when the needle-bar moves back to cause thebeards of the needles to be pressed against the presser-bar those needles which have been turned out of their ordinary acting position may not have their beards closed by the presser. To control the needles which shall at any course be allowed to turn out of acting position, each strip or bit is formed with an arm eX- tending from it and brought to a point at rest on the circumference of a jacquard barrel or pattern cylinder, which has longitudinal rows of holes or projections formed in or on it. lVhen a hole or open space in the jacquard or pattern cylinder or surface is brought below any one or other of the ends of these lever-arms, the corresponding needle can turn back out of acting position; but when no hole is below it the needle cannot turn back, and its beard is closed when pressed against the presser.

The jacquard or pattern cylinder is carried by the needle-bar and moves to and fro with it. Means are also provided for moving the barrel away from the points, so as to free it from them at the end of each course and for then turning the barrel a distance and again moving it up to the points, so that when. the needles are again moved back against the presser there may be a fresh row of holes below the ends of the lever-arms. The distance that the needles are allowed to turn back out of line with the others is only enough to prevent their beards being closed when the needles are'moved toward the presser-bar. At the time that the needles are having thread laid onto them all the needles maybe held in line either by the turning movement of the barrel not being completed at this time, so that the ends of all the lever-arms then rest upon an unperforated portion of the circumference of the pattern-barrel, or they may be held in line by a separate bar provided for the purpose.

Figure l is a vertical section of parts of a knitting-machine of the Cotton type having our improvements applied to it. In this figure the needles are in position for thread to be laid onto them by the thread-layer. Fig. 2 is a similar view after the needles have had thread laid onto them and have descended far enough for the points of their beards to have descended below and come in rear of the newly-laid-on thread. Fig. 2X is a similar view after the bar G has been moved forward so as no longer to retain the needles all in line, leaving some of them to be retained in place by the pattern barrel, while the remainder not being retained in place by the barrel move forward out of line with the others. Fig. 3 is a similar view when the beards of such needles as are held back by the action of the barrel are being pressed against the lined presser-bar. Fig. 4 is a similar view when the needles are in their lowest position. Fig. 5 shows a modification in which the needle-bits are prolonged in a downward direction, and a bar X is used to act on this downward prolongation instead of the bar G acting on the needle-bit itself. In this modification also the axes of the barrel O are carried in bearings on the needle-bar and the barrel has only a step-by-step lturning movement given IOO to it. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of parts of a fixed needle-bar knitting-machine having 'at B2.l

B3 is an arm extending forward from the lower end of the bit B'.

C is the jacquard or pattern barrel, having rows of holes formed through it. Its axes are carried in bearings which can be moved up and down a short distance in slots A4, formed in plates A5, which project forward from the needle-bar.

D is an arm on a rock-shaft D' for giving a short lift to the barrel at the proper time.

E isa pawl engaging with the teeth -of a ratchet-wheel F, which is fast with the barrel. The pawl is carried by a lever E', which isrocked to and fro by a cam on the camshaft of the machine and gives a partial turn to the barrel at the proper time.

G is a bar which can be moved toward and away from the needle-bits B', so as either to bring all the needles into line or allow them to move independently one of the other.

The bar G may be moved toward and away from the needle-bits in any suitable manner. In the drawings the bar is shown to be carried at its ends by arms G', which are fast with an axis G2, to which a slight rocking motion can be given by an arm G3 upon it being acted upon by a cam on the cam-shaft.

H are the sinkers.

As will be seen from Fig. l, the needles are all heldin linewhen about to have thread laid onto them. Whenthread has been laid onto them, the needles descend until the points of their beards are below and in rear of the newly-laid-on thread, as shown at Fig.

2. Afterward, as shown at Fig. 2X, the barV G is moved a distance forward, leaving the pointed ends of the arms B3 of some of the needle-bits to rest upon the barrel C, while the pointed ends of the arms B3 of the remainder of the needle-bits enter holes formed in it, the needles carried by these needle-bits being pulled forward by the pull of the work upon them. Springs pressing upon the needle-bits might also be used to assist in turning them into this position. When some of the needle-bits have thus been allowed to turn forward out of line with the` others, the needles which remain retained in their original position have their beards pressed against the presser-bar, so that the old loops of work upon them may be cast off in the ordinary manner, as illustrated at Fig. 3.

If desired, the up-and-down movements given to the barrel relatively to the needlebar might be omitted and the axes of the barrel be supported in bearings fixed to the needle-bar. Fig. 5 shows such an arrangement; The needle-bits are prolonged in a downward direction at B4, and a bar X, carried by arms X', being pressed by springs against their prolongations B4, holds the needles upright, but not at the time when the presser-bar operates, and at this time the bar X retires and the needle-bits which are unsupported by the pattern-barrel fall back. The needles which they carry are not pressed and retain the loops of the work upon them. The pattern-barrel receives a partial turn at the time when the needle-bits are held away from it. The mechanism above described is applicable to the production offashioned fabrics.- In this case the needles may all be held in line by the action of the bar G upon the needle-bits at the time when `during a fashioning course loops are taken in the ordinary manner from some of the needles at the selvages and are put onto others. Afterward during the next working course when a partial turn has been given to the pattern-barrel and when the bar G has been moved away from the needle-bits such only of the needles as have loops of work remaining upon them are retained in their ori ginal position by the pattern-barrel. The remainder of the needles, which are beyond the selvages and which have no loops of work upon them, are by the formation of the pattern-barrel allowed to fall back andV get out of the way of the thread-layer, so that the threadlayer can at the end of each course be made to lap its thread around the last of the needles, upon which work is being made in the ordinary way, so as to produce a good selvage without being in any way interfered with by the other needles beyond the selvages and which are for the time inoperative and out of action. Again, when the fabric is to be widened the needles jointed to the needlebar are by means of the pattern surface again brought into the operative position. In this use of the mechanism the pattern surface required may be of a very simple nature.

-. In Fig. 6 we have shown the improvements applied to a straight-bar knitting-machine having a fixed needle-bar. In this figure A is the needle-bar, and B the needles, carried by bits B', jointed to the bar at B2. B3 are arms extending from the needle-bits. sinkers.V I is the movable presser-bar- G is the bar for holding all the needles in line at the time when thread is being laid onto them. Itis carried at its ends bylever-arms G',which are fast with an axis G2, to which aslight rocking motion can be given by an arm G3 upon it being acted on by a cam on the camshaft. C` is the jacquard or pattern barrel, which may either be mounted in fixed bearings or becarried by rocking arms D, so that it may be moved toward or away from the- I-I are the IIO IZO

ends of the arms of the needle-bits5 E is a pawl for giving a step-by-step turning inoyenient to the barrel.

l. ln a straight-bar knittinginachine, the combination of the needlebar, the needle-bits jointed to the bar, the needles carried bythe needle-bits, means for acting on the needlebits to hold them all in line at the tilne when thread is laid onto the needles and for retaining thenl in line until the thread is underthe needle-beards, and a j aoqnard-barrel by which such of the needles as are to have the old loops of Work upon them cast oil are afterward held fast While the remainder areallowed to fall back ont of line with the others.

2. In a straight-bar knitting-machine, the combination of a moving needle-bar, needlebits jointed to the bar, needles carried by the zo needle-bits, the movable bar G acting on the needle-bits to at times hold all the needles in line and the j aeqnard-barrel by which at other times some of the needles are allowed to turn back ont of line With the others.

In a straight-barknitting-1nacl1ine0f the Cotton type, the combination of parts consisting of the moving needle-bar A, the bits B jointed to the needle-bar, needles B on the bits, the pattern barrel or surface C operating against the arms of the needle-bits, and the movable bar G which also acts upon the needle-bits and by which they can at times be all held in line and away from the pattern barrel or surface C.

JOHN ARTHUR ALLEN BARFUT. JOSIAH JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

JNO. PARKER WARING, WALTER W. BALL. 

